Leaders and top officials from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) gathered in Islamabad to discuss enhanced cooperation in various areas. The SCO, founded in 2001 by China and Russia, aims to counter Western alliances and includes members such as Iran, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
The meeting, attended by prominent figures like Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, focused on security, trade, and health cooperation. The leaders emphasized the importance of people-to-people contact and addressing the impacts of climate change.
The gathering took place amidst tight security measures in Islamabad, following a recent suicide bombing in Karachi that targeted Chinese engineers working on projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The outlawed separatist group responsible for the attack opposes Chinese-funded initiatives in Pakistan.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted the need to expand China's Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, with a focus on infrastructure development. He also called for a peaceful Afghanistan, stressing that its territory should not be used for violence against any country.
The SCO meeting participants reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation in politics, security, trade, economy, finance, investment, and cultural ties. They expressed support for China's One Belt, One Road initiative and pledged to collaborate on addressing climate change and its adverse effects.
The next SCO meeting is scheduled to take place in Russia in 2025, as announced by Prime Minister Sharif. The joint statement issued at the meeting emphasized the shared goal of building a peaceful, safe, prosperous, and environmentally sustainable planet for harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature.
